which reads pretty much like Buffy telling someone to me.

You could argue that Xander understood it as "Riley went patrolling without telling me and got bit." I think that between the language she used in that speech and her emotional reaction to voluntary biting earlier in the episode, it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect him to put two and two together, but I can see where the people who say he couldn't have known are coming from.

Been a while since I saw ITW, but I remember his speech as "Make up your mind. And I'd better make up mine."

NSM pro-Riley as anti-dithery-Buffy.

If Aimee were around she might even throw in the C word.

Perkins, this truly brightened my morning. I laughed my butt off!

Also seconding that it should be FaithnBuffy4EVAH!!!!

If Aimee were around she might even throw in the C word.

I would, I would. I can always be counted for that.

God love ya'!

Perkins, this truly brightened my morning. I laughed my butt off!

Yay me! I'm pretty sure I won't accomplish anything better today. Can I go home now?

t sends Perkins home

sends Perkins home

Sigh. I tried to explain to people that I had an edict from the Empress, but they didn't buy it.

Stoopid people.

But see, I saw Xander's speech in ITW as being roughly, he's going to leave in 20 minutes. Regardless of how angry you are about the ultimatium, if you actually care about the guy you need to stop him. That he thought she was blinded by the pissed offness, and making a decision that she'd regret later. I never heard Buffy blaming.

AYW, yes, mountains of Buffy-blaming, it's just appalling. That ep gives me actual shudders everytime I give any thought at all to what it seems to be saying. But that's a season 6 issue, not season 5.

It seems as though the viewer is meant to agree with the "Riley got suckjobs because Buffy neglected him" interpretation.

Well, maybe I am suicidal.

It wasn't that Buffy neglected him-it was that when Riley said, "She doesn't love me," he was correct. Buffy loved the idea of Riley, more than Riley. He WAS the "rebound guy." And once he realized that, their days were inevitably numbered.

As for his "suckjobs", he didn't get involved with vamps to get off. He went to discover the meaning of the darkness he saw in Buffy (the darkness Dracula, and later Spike, saw). And to see if he could discover it in himself, as the one possible route to Buffy's really loving him.

They were both lucky he got away, because though Buffy got swept up by Xander's speech, they never could have worked out. Not because she was selfish or he was immature-but because they really were too different.